Adding colour to a black and white theme using bleeding tissue paper on canvas technique

Today I am going to show you how my daughter and I collaborated together to add some colour to a black and white theme.

So in my last post we redecorated our living room leaving us with cool and casual picture ledges to display our treasures.

Now we just wanted to add some bright colourful pictures to contrast the black and white ones. I remembered seeing this pin of the Fiskars ideas section of their site. It was a bleeding tissue paper canvas. So we decided to give it a try. The first thing I learnt was you need bleeding tissue paper for this as opposed to regular tissue paper for wrapping presents. I got some relatively cheap on ebay. There is a ton in the pack! I'm gonna have this for ages!

Here is what we did:

1. Paint water onto your canvas

2. Place tissue paper on canvas

3. Leave to dry

4. Pull off the tissue paper

( for a more watercolour/blended look brush more water over the top of paper.)

 We made a couple canvases. I cut more precise straight strips and put them around the edges of the canvas like a frame. Scarlett placed them randomly around the canvas. Both gave a cool, tie dye, blended look. Perfect for the colour we needed!

Then we printed out a picture of a pug , cut it out, and mod podged it onto the canvas Scarlett did. Then she went over it with gelatos. Adding a sunny sky up top and intensified some of the colours.

I rummaged through my stash and found some old vintage script looking paper and cut out three different heart shapes of different sizes. i tried to cut them a bit wonky. I mod podged them on the canvas with the bright tissue frame and went around the edge with a black stabilo pencil.  then I went around what I just drew and kind of smudged it with my fingers. It just gives it a bit of interest and depth.

I'm really happy with how both of them turned out. They are exactly what we need to add to our black and white themed picture ledge, and best of all they were created by both Scarlett and I.

Cant wait to make more things with this bleeding tissue paper technique. That's a good thing since I have loads of it now! (seriously,..loads.) Thanks for checking my page out today. Ill be back soon with some ATCs I'm making for a swap on the Stampotique facebook page. Till then, take care!

                                             Always, -Kass

Living room/dining room switcheroo re-vamp. Using IKEA picture rails

The other day I completely rearranged the ground floor of my house. There were a few reasons that prompted me to do this 1. We never used the kitchen table as it was down at the end of the kitchen. Its a bit cold down there and far away from whats going on. 2. The middle room was getting no use, it was just a walkway through from the kitchen to the living room. So I put the kitchen table all the way to the front of the house and started using the room as a proper dining room. Its much nicer, it gets the sun all day and we have been getting tons more use out of it!

now the middle room that was a walkway is the living room with the couch and television. Which is great! but I was left with a bunch of empty wall space.

I knew i wanted to show some images from my favourite photographers and artists but could not decide which ones to put where. I am just not the kind of person who can stand with a ruler and mark out exactly where I want stuff. If it involves numbers and measurements I have to admit I shy away from it. So I decided to go for this idea I've had for a long time using the Ikea RIBBA Picture ledges on the walls to lean artwork on that we love.

We bought 4 of the long picture rails and a bunch of miscellaneous picture frames in black and white.I decided to go on a black and white theme with pops of bright colours. Probably because it was in my mind from the last ATC I did? 

I used an old out of date diary with pictures from one of my favourite photographer Robert Douisneaux. I cut out a bunch of different images that inspire me. His street photos from France in the 40's are some of my favourites of his. After I was done was that most of the little frames were filled.

 For some of the larger images I cropped down a Norman Rockwell print I had, and printed some large images of black and white graphics in a google image search.  I also used photographs of my own, mostly of Scarlett. There are a few other random bits and pieces, and some empty frames still. I want to leave room to add to it.

So here it is finished for now:

5

Now Scarlett and I are working on adding those "pops" of colour. We are using bleeding tissue paper on canvas to get great bright, marbling effects. Will be doing a tutorial for you guys on that very soon. So check back again. Thanks for stopping by.x

                                         Always , -Kass

Upcycle project: IKEA chest of drawers

Steve had this chest of drawers when I met him. Finally at year 6 of our marriage he finally gave me permission to alter it


                                                

  I found this venetian cityscape wallpaper at B+Q. I knew I wanted to use it but was not sure how.

 So I let steve work on it in the shed. He painted it an almond white colour, wallpapered the fronts of the drawers, and changed the handles from wood to antique brass. He did a great job..but it still needed feet.

We decided on feet from B+Q that are round, brushed silver, and completely modern. It was a statement choice but why not go for it, right?

 This project wasnt very expensive. If your cheeky, some stores dont mind if you take a sample of wallpaper home. You dont need a lot to do the drawer fronts.

                                                                 
                                                                    BEFORE

                                                   


                                                                     AFTER:

    Im really happy with how it turned out. It looks completely different then when it started! So there ya go, a relatively cheap, easy, IKEA hack.x

                                                                        Thanks for stopping by!     -Kass